Jeremy Corbyn – as well as Brexit – were key reasons for the Labour Party’s dismal performance at the December 12 general election, the Diagnosis of Defeat report found. More than half of the defectors, three quarters of whom chose the Conservative Party, said that Labour would “need to change very significantly” before they would return to the fold. The report published earlier this year was written by Lord Ashcroft and was based on a poll of more than 10,000 voters as well as focus groups in traditional Labour heartlands that turned blue.
The billionaire and former Tory grandee also claimed traditional Labour voters deserted the party because it had lost touch with them and “looked down on them while taking their voters for granted”.
The Brexit position the party eventually settled on – that Labour would support a second referendum between Remain and a renegotiated deal – was also largely unsuccessful, not least since it was largely seen as the party shifting towards a more pro-EU position.
For many of the people who have followed Mr Corbyn’s career, which has spanned over the course of 37 years, his stance on Brexit might have come as a surprise, as the former Labour leader has not always been supportive of being “close” to the bloc.
He voted against membership in 1975, voted against the Maastricht Treaty in 1993, and voted against the Lisbon Treaty in 2009.
In an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, Ashford Councillor and general secretary of the Labour Leave campaign Brendan Chilton claimed Mr Corbyn was “the best asset” the Leave campaign ever had.
He said: “Corbyn was excellent.
“That whole situation for him… everyone knew he was a Brexiteer.
“It was ridiculous the Labour Party made him campaign to Remain.
JUST IN: EU’s ‘power grab in Channel Tunnel’ exposed by civil servant
“That was demonstrated in his speeches, in contributions.
“It was perfectly obvious to everyone.”
Mr Chilton added: “Had he come to the Leave side, I’m sure we would have won by an even bigger majority!”
